New Liver for Country Singer

By Stephen M. Silverman

10/24/1997 at 12:00 AM EDT

Country music singer Chris LeDoux, 51, underwent liver transplant surgery over the weekend at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, reports the Associated Press. He had been diagnosed with a disease of unknown origin that blocks the bile ducts and is said to lead to cirrhosis. A former rodeo rider, LeDoux has reportedly sold more than 5 million albums and Garth Brooks has called him an influence on his own music.